In the very early 1970's the Dead occasionally would play Frozen Logger.
(It is NOT meant to be a serious tune it is a stalling for time type thing kinda like when Weir would tell the Yellow Dog.)
I find it amazing that they would bust it out after so many years and that Weir could still produce the majority of the lyrics off the cuff.
I will say that this is easily the most tripped out version of the Logger with the sound folks reeking havoc on the proceedings.
About FREEDOM: That's my Rainbow name, My nickname in the Army,,,My first show was Byrne Arena N.J. Fall 1984 it was good-- but i was kinda like a deer in the headlights the whole time. I ventured to more shows including Spring 1985 Nassau, Easter 85 Philly, Spac/ Hersey 85 Summer, So this was the big time for me because one thing you should know about me even though I grew up in N.Y.C--My family had a summer home in Saranac N.Y. (Near Lake Placid) So i just loved the Mountains growing up.
Well , Red Rocks is like mountains on steroids!
In fact the place is somewhere around the Continental Divide. So just being in this location had my senses on overload.
I don't remember very much about the first two nights i would probably have to listen to them again.--China > Rider comes to mind--- Me and my buddy were camping and it was pretty freaking cold up there for the 1st week of September.
Anyway, i had this list of what I wanted to hear live and they had not played any of it. So i was getting ribbed for it.
Mostly it was Jerry tunes i had the jones for. And I wrote my list in N.Y, before i left for the show and had no clue what they were playing on the current tour.
My list was like Half Step, Loser, B.E. Women, Crazy Fingers, Playing, Uncle John's, Truckin and of course things like Dark Star and Here Comes Sunshine which was not even remotely going to happen but i had no clue. Oh and the big one was Samson & Delilah which folks told me was a serious long shot because that was becoming a 'Sunday Song' for Weir.
(In fact the only time after that i heard it Not on a Sunday was at MSG but I forget the year ---much later in time.)
My day started in the parking lot when i met a brother named EKIM. I asked him where did he get that name from? He said it is MIKE backwards. I am not sure what i did after that but i ingested or smoked something--- I really don't remember which. As i was entering the rocks. They had the entire BLIND FAITH album on the P.A.
I got to tell you that is one of my favorite albums and i was so very high. I wanted to rip off my clothes. About that time they started that crazy Frozen Logger stuff and i swear i was absolutely losing it.
- Tuning
- The Frozen Logger
- Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo
- New Minglewood Blues
- Brown Eyed Women
- My Brother Esau
- Loser
- Dupree's Diamond Blues
- One More Saturday Night
For whatever reason I got really mesmerized by the view as the show started.
The Half-Step is another tune i just think is so well written. My first 1/2 step was a breakout Nassau Spring 1985. It was so good to hear that song. I also got the crazy half Step >Rider at the Byrne! But my favorite Miss Half Step was from 2/15/73 and yes there are better but that and HCS from that show I just loved so much!(also the jam in 1/2 step for Raceway 77 is killer.)
Minglewood - what a bad boy tune, i spent some time in Saugerties N.Y. and the local school kids would have me sing the original Minglewood you know with the If you don't believe in me--make it hard to believe in you-They called the song-- BORN IN A DESERT "sing us born in a desert"
B.E. Women-Probably heard that first on Europe 72.
To me Donna singing back-up was the best versions of this tune but it always made me smile live.
By the time Weir got to Shadowboxing the Apocalypse, i was a mess. I had not even heard that tune before and i am not even sure they played it again at any shows i saw after that.
"It never ends and it never yet begins" Wow, I am like peaking. Somehow I started climbing furthur upward which involved leaving the seating area.
Also remember thinking it odd that they played two Jerry tunes in a row that kinda perplexed me. i thought that Bob and Jerry pretty much went one for one except for the Double Dose of Cowboy tunes and China>Rider.
It was probably set break when i actually figured how to hike up the canyon. Even as messed up as I was I knew it was probably not the greatest idea but as I went up I noticed a few heads dancing so i figured what the heck. I got to the point where what i was hearing was the Grateful Dead coming up the Canyon almost like they were the wind. When i went too far it echoed so I just stood where the sound seemed just right and tried to dance without picking up my feet-- not easy to do on a vertical. Now obviously the best sound would have been center stage and close up but it was too late for that right now.
I tried to find that list of mine because it seemed like everything they were playing was on my freaking list but I couldn't find my list. and every time I checked my pockets I was in danger of losing my balance.
The Second Set
Beautiful Shakedown opener i was hiking up at this point so if you can imagine trying to keep my footing and shaking my ass at the same time.
The Shakedown has a really long extended jam that kinda keeps going even after Jerry drops back in for the chorus.
Shakedown Street -> Crazy Fingers -> Samson
To me Crazy Fingers is like Jerry's version of a Cowboy song. It is not really a story so much as dropping in on the mind of a cowboy.
And then Samson!!!!
Where did that Samson come from?
Out of Crazy Fingers?
At this point Brent picks up his backing vocals
He did some nice keys on Shakedown
- Uncle John's Band -> Playin' In The Band ->
Listening to the guitar intro for Uncle John's.
I can feel the mountain's chilling my bones.
Now normally for whatever reason I tend to like Playing before UJB but it can really work either way. i guess I like it that way so you get the Playing reprise after UJB.
Interesting transition into PLAYIN' not a jam so much as a jump for the P.I.T.B. This is one is very fast moving like breakneck speed. Good Jam
It felt like they could have drifted into China Doll
Drums ->Space ->
All I can say that can you imagine being in an altered state of consciousness for this.
I had an image, i couldn't call it a dream so much because i was awake but it was of America perhaps the world being hammered in a Nuclear War.
Some brother came on the local Pacifica radio Station and was reading Hopi Prophecy about the last days of Turtle island and can't remember if that was pre or post this show but it helped that scary train pick up speed.
It was very hard for me to shake that for years.
It freaked me out to the point where I had to abstain.
I could only do like Peyote or Fresh Shrewms.
You know in Space there is a slight hint of the Spanish Jam for a brief while while Mickey is playing one of the smaller hand drums.
Brent is great into Fantasy. i used to think he was singing about Garcia during this tune but over time i came to think it was pretty autobiographical.
I love how Jerry comes along side and sings back-up and then shadows with Brent, and then even jumps out and takes the lead vocally ahead of Brent.
Dear Mr. Fantasy -> Hey Jude -> Dear Mr. Fantasy ->
. In the middle of Fantasy he goes for Hey Jude just the reprise but wow it was perfect. It had never crossed my mind but it fit just right. The other folks dancing on the side of the mountain were freaking along with me on that one. (but all we could do was wave)
I wonder if they had that planned? And as quick as they jumped in they head back to a brief Fantasy reprise.
Truckin' ->
Always into Truckin, it was the only tune the FM rock station would even play from the Dead. Probably one of the only Dead tunes i knew before getting turned on to the Dead Summer 1984.
Trucking post drums became rare as time went on which is too bad because it is such a pivotal song for the band. if they nail Truckin watch out --but if they flub it you can get a real train wreck.
Here WE are hanging on for dear life after what has already transpired. I now want to get back into the seating area but if i go lower i lose the good sound and they just keep cranking out more songs.
- Comes A Time ->
This was one of the most potent Ballads from Jerry. It just absolutely floored me. I know the versions from 77 are amazing but trust me the 85 versions were not slack!
I honestly don't remember if i knew Comes A Time before this show. i tend to doubt it. It was rare and my tape collection was not really large yet. I don't remember the tune being on any of the studio albums?
I do know it made an impression on me that day.
And i think it was Richmond 85 when I got the full effect of the song
- Turn On Your Lovelight
As I remember this was just making it's way back into the rotation by this time. it bore little resemblance to Pigpen's version but Weir to his credit would throw in a tiny rap that seemed to make each of his versions unique even if it was something goofy like--"Here comes some free advice" this day.

Encores:
Crowd/Tuning
I was headed back now and making good time.
I am pretty sure this was one of only a handful of times I heard them do this tune --Johnny B. Goode -> i love the way garcia jumps in vocally similar to the way he did in promised land but much earlier in the tune for Johnny B-
If you want to hear my favorite Chuck Berry type tune get a hold of Let It Rock.(J.G.B)
- It's All Over Now, Baby Blue- Imagine me scrambling to get back to civilization and Jerry is singing-- "You must leave now, take what you need , you think , will last"
I never did get back into the arena I ended up in the parking lot and my buddy is like "THEY PLAYED ALMOST EVERY SONG ON YOUR LIST" followed closely by "Hey, What happened to you?"
We had to hitch back to the campground, it was getting cold. The worst thing of the weekend was by the time we got back my friend's tent had been stolen along with all his clothes.. A bad way to end the road trip for sure.

I never got even remotely close to that kinda of an intense experience like Red Rocks 85 again at an actual Grateful Dead show. ( RFK 1986 was pretty close). After RFK 86 I went stone cold Wharf Rat and that took awhile and was a big adjustment --but I really got more into the music for the music's sake and left the drama aside.
Or as I believe Weir said 'Once you have finished making the connection, you better hang up the phone'

I am thinking that the ridiculousness was changing show times to earlier each day. The logger song came after the star spangled banner on slide flutes and kazoos. Word was they were trying to get Jerry on stage. As I will always say it was great you just had to be there.

This is another 4 star show from a year that gave us a good 20 '4' to '5' star shows. The question looking back now almost 26 years is - what happened in 1985? We know Jerry - Lord rest his soul - was in NOT in good health. He often stood with his head down - even when not doing a solo. He - at times - appeared disinterested. BUT his playing was incredible. I'm not saying it was his very best - but you would be hard pressed to not include his work in 1985 in your top 5 years while on tour with GD.
Weir? He was just being a prankster. 'Frozen Logger' was his way, I guess. Makes you wonder what kind of filler the band could have streamed into if he just let things take their "course".
Great show. 'Loser' is one of those songs that can grow heavy - but Jer's reading of it is more sinister than sad. Weir closes things out nicely w/ 'Saturday Night'.
Second set - well, it speaks for itself, really. This year's Philly shows in March, Summer shows at Hershey and Spac and the Fall shows on the East Coast give this shows 2nd set high standards to match.

1985 was a year where a bad show really stuck out and there were so many good ones,(such as this one at red rocks), that this show may - at the time - have appeared to be the 'norm'.
Peace to all.

also truckin till the end is soild.

clean fast swarming

Yeah, so Frozen Logger........simply tript out amazingness and the kind of unusual banter that I love hearing in a show....afterall..a good puddle always makes 'em prophetic ;)

http://estimatedprofits.blogspot.com/2009/10/september-7-1985-red-rocks-amphitheatre.html

Word has it from a band insider that Jerry would not go on until his dealer delivered his heroin to the show. He was a little late so everyone else went on and thus "The Frozen Logger".

Forget even thinking about listening to Frozen Logger. Otherwise this is a very nice show. I might be tempted to give it a five but I've been listening to alot of 1989 shows lately and they are much more impressive IMO. Another great job by Charlie Miller on this remaster.

the previous reviewer nails it. this show has a great version of Loser and at the end you can hear the boys discussing what song to play next. "Shakedown? Samson and Delilah? Let's play that next set."

Don't be fooled by the ridiculous version of Frozen Logger that Weir tries to sing before the band officially starts the show. His singing is awful and so are the sound effects, but it didn't sink the show at all. Odds are, and it would have to be oddly stated, odds are the sheer horror of it helped to propel the band into a butterfly floating lightly over the faithful at Red Rocks.

Thanks to David Gans and our resident Archives hero, Charlie Miller, you can tell right away half way thru Half Step that this is a wonderful show ~ wonderfully played and wonderfully recorded and remastered.

Half Step, Minglewood, B. E. Women and Esau are all pedestrianally competent with tight ensemble playing. Things start to heat up with Loser and then, after a lot of stage chatter trying to decide what to play, they pull out DuPree and DuPree glistens like its diamond ring. Where is the crowd, though? For a Saturday night they are very quiet in this mix. Oh well, the crowd noise is not important. This mix is noise free and very very phat on the bass end of the spectrum. And you'll be easily able to hear all instruments ~ the mix has splendid separation.

After more tuning they catapult into Saturday Night to close set one. This is not a first set to write to Aunt Sylvia about, but it's a pretty nice warm-up, overall.

It's the second set where they finally molt their skins and sparkle like the outstretching lights of Denver.

Shakedown is a cauldron of bubbling stew, yet, just when you thought they could take it to vertigo, they shuttle off and walk-skip-jump into Crazy Fingers ~ a beautiful version. (BTW, This mix is good enough for commercial release without another thing being done to it.)

Samson is rocking but rudimentary. Jerry pulls some rarebits out of the hat during his solo, though, some tapestries woven of olden times, methinks.

Listen to the notes Jerry tunes up with before Uncle John. Tell me this is not one of the most superb recordings you've ever heard. The notes are so juicy they are Jerk Chicken fallin' off de bone

Then they sort of stumble gracefully into a rocking uptempo Playing into Drums into a freaky Space and into Mr Fantasy. Brent's organ work is divine and the song's cooking along pretty well thru Hey Jude and back into Fantasy Reprise, then they're into a big fat Truckin'...and into the jewel of the eastern sky ~ Comes A Time. Brilliant

A peppy Lovelight ends the second set. The first encore is JBG and perhaps it tells us that the band enjoyed themselves that night (a pet theory) and squeeze out a creamy Baby Blue which Garcia nails with peels of subtle rapture. Was like Dylan foreordained Garcia to render, by his dynamic interpretation, this song thus the way Dylan would have wanted it and just the way Garcia did it.